The bill briefly outlines the history of government references to God, and adds in that “if religion and morality are taken out of the market-place of ideas, the very freedom on which the United States was founded cannot be secured.”

Republicans argue that the resolution would help turn the tide against what they see as an informal effort to remove references to God from public buildings.

“Federal agencies and departments have been instructed that the phrase not be posted in those buildings,” Forbes wrote in March. “The effect on our public schools has been chilling, as teachers and administrators do not know whether they can post our national motto on their walls.”